The present invention relates to an electronic control device for selectively controlling different types and operating modes of internal combustion engines, for example, conventional SI engines having fixed cylinder volumes, SI engines having variable cylinder volumes, SI engines having fully variable valve controlling and/or camshaft actuator, SI engines having direct injection with stratification, or diesel engines. These different engine designs or operating modes each require different engine controlling, with respectively different input parameters and different manipulated quantities or variables at the output side, as well as different computing processes for the determination thereof.
In a conventional manner, a separate suitable control device is developed for each specific engine design or each typical operating mode, so that a multiplicity of different control devices are manufactured and must be warehoused as replacement parts. This results in considerable costs for manufacture and warehousing. For each new design, a new control device must be developed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic control device that may be adapted rapidly and easily to the widest variety of engine designs and operating modes.
The above and other beneficial objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an electronic control device as described herein.
The advantages of this electronic control device include that it may be adapted rapidly and easily to various engine designs and operating modes, so that in principle only a single design of a control device need be manufactured for all types of internal combustion engines, i.e., combustion engines and operating modes. Although the control device contains components and assemblies that are not required for a specific application, the overall costs are nonetheless reduced through greater piece counts and simpler warehousing. In addition, the control device also offers the possibility of adaptation to future engine designs, because it is designed for all possible types of input parameters and manipulated quantities at the output side.
The adaptation to the respective engine design or to the respective application is achieved through simple automatic or manual adjustment of the switchover device.
A calculating device is provided for predetermining the fuel quantity to be injected, dependent optionally on the measured air-mass flow or on the desired quantity of heat. The switchover between these two alternatives occurs, for example, given the use of stratification or diesel engines, where the desired quantity of heat is used as an input parameter, and for other SI engines, where the measured air-mass flow is used as an input parameter.
The calculating device for predetermining the fuel quantity to be injected may be configured only for predetermining the injection time, or the injection time and the injection pressure, the second alternative being required in stratification or diesel engines.
A conversion device configured to convert the measured air-mass flow values and the desired heat quantity values into corresponding fuel mass values may be provided, a switchover device that may be actuated dependent on the operating mode being provided for the selection between these two fuel mass values as a basis for calculation for the fuel quantity to be injected.
In addition, a calculating device may be provided for predetermining the throttle valve position, dependent optionally on the desired quantity of heat or on the air-mass flow, calculated via an intake or induction pipe model. The application of the first alternative occurs, for example, in conventional SI engines, and the second alternative in stratification or diesel engines, or in SI engines with fully variable valve controlling.
A conversion device configured to convert the desired quantity of heat into a setpoint air-mass flow, and to convert this setpoint air-mass flow into a setpoint intake pipe pressure for calculating the throttle valve position, may be provided. The conversion device may also be configured to increase the variability for converting the setpoint air-mass flow into the setpoint intake pipe pressure, dependent on the cylinder capacity, an operating-mode-dependent switchover device being used for the alternative predetermination of a constant cylinder capacity or of a valve-lift-controlled cylinder capacity.
For controlling SI engines having fully variable valve controlling or having camshaft actuators, a calculating device that may be optionally activated may be provided for the predetermination of the valve control times dependent on the desired quantity of heat. For this purpose, a conversion device may be provided for converting the desired quantity of heat into a setpoint air-mass flow, as well as for converting this setpoint air-mass flow into a cylinder stroke volume for the calculation of the valve control times.